Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: Eelgrass

Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and Community Organizer Sara Freshley are joined by Staff Scientist Mike Doan for a casual conversation about the plight of eelgrass in Casco Bay and our eelgrass pilot project at our last Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper event of the season.

Like coral reefs, eelgrass meadows provide a variety of critical services for our oceans and planet:

• Nursery habitat for fish, lobster, horseshoe crabs, and other shellfish

• Vital food source for birds and fish

• Stabilizes sediments, reducing erosion

• Raises pH levels and buffers the effects of ocean acidification

• Carbon capture, helping reduce the effect of climate change

We became alarmed when we learned that 54% of this critical habitat had disappeared between 2018 and 2022. This year we are partnering with other groups to launch an eelgrass pilot project to better understand what’s happening and explore how to restore eelgrass habitats. 

This is a collaborative project between Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Friends of Casco Bay, Manomet, and Team Zostera.

You can learn more about eelgrass and our pilot project by reading our story A Friend to Eelgrass: A Water Reporter Helps Look After a Vital Ecosystem in Peril.